Of Ice and Embers
by whysostephanie
Summary: Gwinneira is forced to leave her home. She find herself abandoned and in search of her only remaining family,Thaelon. She searches Middle Earth until she stumbles into something more serious than she could imagine...  Based during The Fellowship and on
1. Prologue

Each journey has its end, however this means there must me a beginning. No story is best told in reverse, so as keeping to such tradition, I shall start at the very roots of my tale.

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><p>Nearly all of my life I have been wandering from place to place. Not by choice, nor "chance" but by the cruelty of fate. My family, my village, my home, my everything was massacred and destroyed by a group of rebels, called the Stormcloaks, who had been against our king. The only survivors were my cousin and I. Shortly after the attack began, a Stormcloack known as Ulfric had found me off guard in the courtyard near my parents shop, he had forced me inside and told me to remain silent, that I could not escape. I was paralyzed in fear, but then my cousin Thaleon, who had only been five years my elder, came for me when he heard of the attack in an attempt to protect me and my honour. He fought off Ulfric, who's face had been sliced by Thaleon's blade. Ulfric fled,like the coward he truly was. Together my cousin and I hid in a cellar near the edge of the village until the screams and cries were no longer heard and the world had grown silent and cold with the night.<p>

We left our homeland of Winterhold that night, I had been only sixteen at the time and was not yet ready to begin a new life away from the only land I knew as my home. Thaleon and I traveled, together, for nearly three years. He had trained me only slightly with a blade, but my real trade came from that of a bow. Thaleon had always spoken of leaving to go hunt down the Stormcloacks who had so relentlessly taken everything from us.

My dear cousin knew I would never allow him to go on his own but he feared deeply for my own safety that he disregarded his own. One early morning though, I awoke to the sound of our horse Elisaf whinnying and bags being packed. I hurried out of the tent to see Thaleon mounted upon Elisaf.

"Thaleon! You cannot leave me!" I exclaimed, panic and anxiety filling my heart.

"My dearest, lovely Gwinneira.. I cannot stay any longer, I must go back and find the Stormcloacks... Please, you must trust me cousin," Thaleon pleaded, a hint of guilt on his voice.

"I'm going with you," I states coldy, choking on my tears.

"It's too dangerous! Do you know what that worm Ulfric would have done to you had I not shown up when I did? Gwinn, I cannot risk you like that again... You are all I have," he looked away, "besides, there is a town called Lake-town near by, only a day's journey... Wait for me there dear cousin. I shall return for you, I swear on my life."

"Thaleon, no... I need you," I cried clinging to his saddle.

He looked down at me, his blue eyes full of remorse, "make this no harder than it has to be for me... stay safe, I will find you in Lake-town after all is well," Thaleon leaned down to me, kissing me on the forehead one last time, "farewell Gwinn, my dearest."

I watched him ride off, into the night. At that moment I had felt more alone that I ever could have been.

I had known little of Lake-town, seeing as I was only a nineteen year old refugee who knew nearly nothing of the realms of Middle Earth besides that of the northern, snowy, mountain area where Winterhold once stood. I knew merely the names of the major realms. There was Dale, where I knew only of the city Esagaroth (also called Lake-town,) then there was the Rohan, Gondor, and an evil place called Mordor.

On my way to Lake-town I had found myself in somewhat of a predicament, though a kind stranger came to my aid and escorted me on the remaining journey to my destination, however that is a story for another time...

I took shelter in Lake-wood for six years, waiting for word from my cousin. Whence no word reached me of his whereabouts I chose to leave, to travel in search of him. I feared returning to the North, to Winterhold, but I knew that one day I would have to. This is where my story truly begins; two years after I took my leave from Lake-town.

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><p><strong>AN: **I know it is a bit short, and I apologize. However, I did not go into detail because I plan to reveal such things throughout the story. However, it is vital that you know a few things; first, Gwinneira is the protagonist if that is not clear... haha she's fairly young, inexperienced, and basically a damsel in distress in the prologue. However, she grows stronger and slightly more wise in her time at Lake-town and on her travels through Middle Earth up until this point. Sadly, because Gwinn is only human and is driven by her own emotional strive, she is very flawed and weak as a person in her shoes would be. Second, I am aware of the term "Mary-Sue" and by my own definition there is not a character out there that has been fan-created that is not a "Mary-Sue" some are perhaps more blatantly ridiculous than others, but I disregard the term and such... This is my story and if you don't like it, then simply don't read it.

LASTLY, and probably MOST importantly... This story takes place during the time of the Fellowship. However, as much of a purist as I am when it comes to fandoms... The plot shall be slightly tweaked in order for my story to take it's intended course. As much as I hate to change the points of the plot in the original Lord of the Rings series, I must change some facts around... Just heed that warning. I promise to make it flow and hold to being accurate as much as I can.

OH, and also, you may have noted the Skyrim references (if you are familiar with what it is)... This is not going to be a cross-over really, but due to a recent obsession of mine I have chosen to make certain aspects of this story relate to Skyrim. Forgive me.


	2. Chapter One

I had put it off for far too long, I knew I had to return to the mountains and seek my dear cousin. I had waited to hear word of him long enough, thus perhaps I would confront Ulfric myself.

The path I was on was not all that unpleasant for me, the forests and landscapes reminded me of that of Lake-town... A place I had come to miss dearly, along with my friends who I had left as well; I contemplated heading that way to see them though I doubted if they had wanted to see me. Memories began to haunt my conscious.

As thunder began to sound over the trees, I knew a storm was moving in. Rain gently fell, caressing my face. Looking up at the sky I closed my eyes to feel the rain, to take in the moment, I sighed remembering all the times I had gone out in the snow with Thaleon, all the times I had ventured into the rain with my friends from Lake-wood. As I walked onward, I lost myself in memories. One in particular; the night I left Lake-town.

_It had been a dark, dismal day; clouds covered the land but no rain fell until the night accompanied it. I knew what I had to do and I knew I had to go alone. Finally, I came to understand Thaleon's reasons for making me stay behind, the feeling of wanting those you care for to be safe. I told no one of my plans to leave, I made sure none of them suspected anything. One thing I failed to anticipate was the fact that nothing goes unnoticed to the one person who seemingly understood me better than myself..._

_In the stables I had been preparing my horse, I had on a cloak as a precaution so that any person who so happened to pass by would simply assume I was a stranger. After all, my intention was to let no one know where I was going or that I was leaving. Lightning filled the sky, causing Viresse, my horse, to whinny._

_"Hush," I whispered, stroking her head, "everything is alright... Please, we must go this night."_

_A crash of thunder startled me and instinctively I whirled my head towards the door to the stables. There was a figure there, sopping wet, they were breathing heavily with their head hanging. I quickly turned back to calm my horse, though I heard footsteps walking towards me; I closed my eyes._

_"Gwinneira," came a low voice, the tone was stern- almost angry._

_I ignored it, hanging my head in silence. I walked over to the wall of the stable to grab Viresse's saddle, suddenly I felt a strong hand on my shoulder which proceeded to turn me around and remove the hood from my head._

_ I looked up to see __before me a familiar face, however the expression it bore was not one I had witnessed on it until that moment. His curly, red, hair was dripping and hanging over his deep cerulean eyes which held a fire inside; though with that fire there was something else, something close to pain._

_"Benithir..." my voice was but a whisper. I could do nothing but stare into his eyes, he stared back at me, searching my face for answers._

_"Tell me what this is Gwinn," his voice was demanding. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came._

_I went to turn away but found strong arms push me against the wall which caused me to gasp in surprise. There in front of me he stood, hands pressed hard on the wall on either side of my head._

_"Please," came his pleading voice. Never once had I seen Benithir so vulnerable. It was foreign to me; foreign and heart breaking in a way. Benithir had been nothing but strong and brave since I had met him. Never once would he let anything phase him or cause him pain; he had been kind and compassionate the entire time I had known him but one thing he had never been until now was vulnerable._

_For a moment we both stood there, taking in the sounds of the storm, staring into each others eyes; I could see that he knew I had meant to leave. He was still heavily breathing, whether it was out of anxiety or exhaustion I was not sure. Finally he broke eye contact and hung his head so it was next to mine, he broke the silence with a whisper, "please... Don't go."_

_My heart was heavy with remorse, "I'm sorry, but I must..."_

_He looked back into my eyes, "I refuse to let you go alone..."_

_"You must stay here though, this is where you belong," I sighed and hung my own head._

_Benithir lifted my chin gently with his rough fingers, those of a blacksmith, he titled his forehead against mine. My eyes grew wide in anticipation, waiting for his words, gazing into his passionate eyes. Finally he spoke in a soft, tender voice, "and this is where you belong."_

_I felt his lips brush against mine as he slid his hands onto the sides of my face deepening his sweet kiss. A tear fell from my eye as I felt my heart breaking for in it I knew I could not stay..._

My memory was cut short by the sound of a twig snapping. I immediately reached for my sword, ready to unsheathe it. Before I could do anything I felt a blade against my neck as I was grabbed from behind; I tensed up instantly as I felt breath on the back of my neck. All I could think about was how foolish I had been, letting my guard down.

"Who are you," questioned a cold, serious voice. The one it belonged to was male, thus I chose to be silent in an attempt to keep secret my gender for at least a bit longer. A woman alone in the woods, no matter how skilled, could still find herself in danger... Especially when they were as foolish as I had been.

I simply raised my hands in front of myself in defeat, showing I meant no harm.

"Turn around, show yourself," he ordered removing his blade from my neck. I slowly turned around with my arms still raised, my head hanging and heart pounding. Rapidly the stranger removed my hood, revealing my true identity. I looked up with narrow eyes to see his mouth gaping open, "a... A woman?"

Now that he had been caught off guard I knew I had two options, I could stay and fight or I could run like hell. I chose the latter. I bolted in the opposite direction, gasping for air, eyes wide as the moon. I had run into a situation like this once before near the border of Gondor and Rohan, I had chosen the option of running then as well... I knew I was no match for fighting a man who was obviously stronger than I was.

It was dark and I had found myself deep in the forest now. Then I felt my foot catch a root and I tripped, though I felt two strong arms catch me. For a moment I felt as though I was back in the safety of Benithir's embrace; I quickly came to my senses though and struggled against the man, "we mean you no harm, my lady." This voice was different; softer, more gentle and caring. I looked up at him, I couldn't see much due to the darkness but I could see bright blue eyes gleaming behind dark hair that was damp with rain... The sight was haunting as it brought back the very memory that put me in this position. The moment was seemingly too much for me, for the next thing I knew; everything was black.

When I awoke, I realized I was laying near a campfire and the rain had subsided. My weapons were missing as well as my cloak and my boots. Slowly I sat up and realized my head was pounding, surly a side effect of stress.

"Easy there," came the same soft, gentle voice from before. I turned to see a man sitting on a log near me. His eyes filled with questions, he had fairly long, dark hair ans stubble upon his cheek. His skin was slightly tanned and he wore black clothes and a silver necklace around his neck; surly that of a woman, perhaps his lover. His eyes were gentle as he spoke, "my name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You have nothing to fear, other than catching cold that is."

I sat there, taking caution. The man seemed trustworthy but I could not know for sure, "who is your companion, Aragorn son of Arathorn?"

"Boromir son of Denethor, I am the steward-prince of Gondor, my lady," came the voice of another. I turned to see his face, the fire lit it clearly now, smiling as he approached the camp with an arm full of wood. His eyes narrowed in confusion as he put the wood down, staring at me. He approached and I found myself pushing myself further away in apprehension, "it's... You. That woman... from the woods near Rohan!"

I stared at him in disbelief, I found my back against Aragorn's leg which made me jump slightly in surprise.

"Boromir, what is this about?" Aragorn questioned.

"Months ago, before I was summoned to Rivendell, I was patrolling the border for orcs when I ran into a young woman..." Boromir trailed off, kneeling close to me, "it was you."

"Stay back you rancid swine!" I heard myself retort.

Aragorn swiftly positioned himself between the two of us, obviously noting that something wasn't quite right with the situation, "alright now... Boromir, what is this about?"

"He's nothing but scum!" I blurted out, unable to contain myself.

"What do you mean," Aragorn asked with a slight tilt of his head, looking towards Boromir.

"It's nothing, a mere misunderstanding," he grinned, laughing lightly to shake the tension. Things grew quiet for a moment; Boromir took a seat against a tree on the other side of the fire, as Aragorn tended to the flames.

"My lady, may we have your name?" Aragorn asked kind-heartedly.

I stared at the ground a moment and sighed, "my name is Gwinneira daughter of Gerhardt of Winterhold... Or the land once was."

The men stared at each other, Aragorn then turned to me. "You're from the north?"

"It cannot be," Boromir let out a laugh of confusion, "she must be delusional. The city of Winterhold was completely destroyed... My father has allies from there, yes, the Stormcloaks!"

I winced at this remark, and sprang for the dagger left next to the log Aragorn had been sitting on. With the dagger I lunged towards Boromir, holding the blade to his neck, between clenched teeth I spoke with anger in my veins, "only further proof that you are scum..."

Boromir's eyes were filled with unease, it only took half a second for Aragorn to pull me off and take the dagger.

"You certainly have fire in you..." Aragorn spoke.

I sighed to myself, and spoke quietly. "I am born of ice and embers..."

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><p><strong>AN:**

I hope you enjoyed reading this!

Now, I hope you have noticed some things... Such as the fact that Aragorn and Borimir seem to be alone in camp... OKAY, so this is the deal and it is VITAL to understanding the plot situation...

IN THIS STORY, we are at the point right after Sam and Frodo leave to Mordor on their own. However, the most drastic difference is that Borimir was not killed by the orcs. (Obviously...) Though, Merry and Pippin were captured despite this. NOW, Boromir and Aragorn are awaiting word from Legolas and Gimili who were sent to track the orcs whereabouts. (They will show up in the next chapter or two...)

^ All of this will be explained in detail in the next chapter... As well as other things. There are yet more twists to be revealed. More history to Gwinn as well!

** please check in for chapter two soon!**

ps: please excuse grammatical errors at this time.. I have yet to proof read and edit it.


	3. Chapter Two

That night Aragorn told me of their Fellowship and their journey to destroy the One Ring. I knew little of this rings history, let alone the devastating power it wielded. Nor had I known anything of the dark lord Sauron in the ancient times. However, with Aragorn's explanations I came to realize the seriousness of the events.  
>It was easy to imagine the things the rest of Middle Earth had gone through. Winterhold, a city of the north, had only scarce involvement in the rest of the world. Our biggest threats were that of ice wraiths, frost trolls, and other dangerous creatures of the ice realm called the Northern Waste. However, our main fear was the dragons of Withered Heath, which was not far from our region near the Grey Mountians.<br>Aragorn had told me about their trek through the Mines of Moria and how one member of their Fellowship has fallen; about how they encountered the elves of Lothlórien; about how they had faced the Uruk Hai, and orc type army assembled by a dark wizard, and how the ring bearer and his companion fled to go to Mordor on their own so that they wouldn't be a danger to the rest of the Fellowship. Then two others, hobbits, were taken captive by the Uruk's and thus the remaining members, an elf and a drawf, had gone to scout while Boromir and Aragorn himself awaited their return.

Before I felt myself drifting into a slumber, I heard Aragorn ask me something in a whisper, not to wake Boromir, "Gwinneira, if you would, tell me why such things remain a mystery to you?"  
>I knew he had been referring to earlier that night, I had continually shown that my knowledge of the creatures he spoke of was sparse. Thus, I told him, "from living in in these parts of Middle Earth for some time, I had learned more about the creatures I had thought only to be imagined- the Great King of Winterhold had always told tales to the other children and me of the great creatures of Middle Earth; though, he always claimed that they were lore. Perhaps it was to protect us, or maybe it was simply that he figured it would be unimportant for us to learn of such things. Lord Aragorn, people from the Northern cities isolate themselves, just as they are isolated by others, I am sure you know of this... North folk keep to themselves, they do not bother to go about concerning themselves in the matters of the rest of the world unless they are in dire need of help, refuge, or if they are called upon… Alas, I am a refugee, my reasons are my own."<br>He gave only an understanding nod and proceeded to keep watch. Listening to the remaining embers of the fire crackle as I stared into the clouded night sky; I drifted into a sleep.  
>When I awoke the next morning there was a layer of fog veiling the forest. I slowly sat up, stretching my arms out. A voice startled me, causing me to realize the events of the night.<br>"You're awake," Boromir's voice cut through the silence.  
>"Indeed," I mumbled blankly; something about the man made my skin crawl. Ever since my first encounter with him I had perceived him as snide, arrogant, ambitious, corrupt... I had a keen sense for reading people, and I knew that men like him were not to be trusted.<br>"Where is it you are venturing to? It is unsafe for a woman such as you to be traveling alone."  
>My eyes narrowed slightly as I turned towards him, "I can handle myself, unless you don't recall our apparent meeting near the border of Gondor."<br>He opened his mouth to speak, but no words were found; a sly smile played on his lips as he softly chuckled to himself.  
>It was silent for a few moments as I packed my things and combed through my long brown hair, braiding the front so it set off to the side out of my face. I took notice to the absence of Aragorn, he had been far more pleasant than the steward-prince; he seemed to be more noble as well, what a shame, I thought to myself.<br>"I'll be taking leave now, farewell Boromir, tell Aragorn that I appreciate the hospitality you have shown me, but I must be on my way," I said slinging my pack over my shoulder.  
>I turned to leave but found myself face to face with Aragorn himself, "m'lady, as Boromir said it is far too dangerous for you to be out in these woods alone… There are orcs lurking near the forest, not to mention anything else that may be hidden in the shadows."<br>"Yes, I know of this," I spoke softly as I turned back around, "but I am heading north and you- south. I wish not to interfere with your journey to find your friends, worry not for me m' lord. I was trained by the best blacksmith in Lake Wood and have an understanding of the forests."  
>"Aragorn, surely we cannot let her go out there," Boromir scoffed.<br>"Aye, we shall. If that is what Gwinneira wants then we must respect her wishes," Aragorn stated, making Boromir's face turn to that of disbelief. I then felt Aragorn's hand upon my shoulder, "however, I would ask you to reconsider joining us- at least until we reach Rohan where we can find you a suitable escort."  
>I was silent a moment, but my head told me to go on my own. No matter how trustworthy Aragorn seemed the question of whether I could in fact trust him or no remained. I decided that it was in my best interest to depart, "thank you for such consideration but I do not wish to be a nuisance. Farewell, m'lords, perhaps fate will allow us to meet again," I smiled as walked away from their camp putting the hood of my cloak up.<p>

A day had past, in the evening I had made it out of the deeper part of the woods and by dusk I could see the fields of _ through the trees. My mind was set on where I would go when I went to Lake-town, what I would tell my dear friends. However, these thoughts were clouded with worry. Worry that perhaps they wouldn't want to see me, I felt as though they may not even remember me. How would Benithir feel towards me? With my heart heavy with longing and worry, I stared deeply into the small flame I had built.

The moon shone brightly through wisps of cloud, in the distant wood I could hear wolves calling to it. I closed my eyes, taking in my surroundings. Perhaps I should have stayed with the others, helped them on their journey. Though I felt that deep inside of me that I was determined to find my dear cousin; part of me knew that the hope that remained was fading, that I had lost everything and given up that which I had begun to build once more… I was a wanderer; I had few possessions and even fewer people to rely on.

As I was so deep in thought I heard a branch near by snap. It had been a windless night, and I had not heard any creatures lurking. I unsheathed my sword slowly and stood up; examining the darkness around me. At last I heard what sounded like footsteps.

"Show yourself," I demanded strongly. I looked around cautiously, but saw nothing. Anxiety began to sink into my veins as I heard the footsteps come closer to me. I had not expected to have yet another encounter with another being so soon since the last; to me it was uncommon, especially in the wooded areas of which I traveled.

As I crouched, with my sword drawn, ready to strike any enemy I came to face, small fox poked its head from the bushes. I sighed in relief as I lowered my sword; the fox looked wounded, as it was limping on its front foot. The small creature appeared to be tame; so I called softly to it, "it's alright little fox, I will not harm you."

"I could say the same thing, little fox," a deep voice came from behind me; I gasped lightly as I was caught off guard once more. Slowly, I turned to face him and reached for my weapon once more. To my dismay my arm was grabbed by another mysterious man.

I quickly tore myself from his grasp, taking in what I could of the appearances of my attackers. They wore similar armor; leather crafted it appeared in the darkness, with light leather hoods to hide most of their features, bound gauntlets that looked excellent for picking locks; how could I have been such a fool? These men were with a guild, to be more specific... A thieves guild.

"I have no possessions of worth, nothing to steal, no coin to pocket, so please leave me alone," my voice was not pleading, but warning. Though, I would not show it, but fear filled me. The guild had quite a reputation for mischief and I had never thought I would come face to face with a few of their own. The man who had spoken before spoke once more.

"Aye lass, we don't mean to harm you. As long as you cooperate…" His eyes wandered on me, I shivered in disgust.

"You vile excuse of a man," I spat, "I will not submit to your petty will."

I reached for one of my weapons, but found the other man pushing me roughly into a tree, holding a dagger to my neck. My eyes widened as a gasped, why couldn't this pair of men been more chivalrous like Aragorn had been? Every fiber of my being regretted not going with them; this was fate's way of revealing my mistake unto me.

The man with the dagger looked hesitant as I peered into his eyes, he looked to his partner; who I assumed was of higher stature than him. "Delvin, are you sure this would be alright with Brynjolf?"

"What he won't know won't hurt him," was the simple, cold reply from the man called Delvin. He took several steps forward, I could see a smirk playing upon his lips, "now, little fox, now you must behave."

He reached out a hand, stroking my cheek and moving down my neck across my collar; I spat in his face and jolted my knee towards his groin. As he bellowed over in pain I snickered in triumph, noticing the other man tighten his grip on the dagger to my throat.

Delvin growled, "you filthy whore... Rune, give me that damned dagger," he demanded. His voice had held rage, I felt myself cringing back into the tree. Rune backed off as Delvin took hold of the steel dagger, lunging it into my shoulder with full force. I screamed loudly in pain as the cold blade pierced me, surely any creature with in the surrounding forest heard me. "How does that feel sweetheart?"

His hand then covered my mouth with his free hand, "I was going to play nice with you, but you ruined any chance of that now. When I'm through with you, you're going to wish you had never been born…."

His words were as sharp as the blade he had stuck into my flesh, I felt light headed from the pain, but I forced myself to stay conscious. I then heard something hit Delvin, he cursed in pain and turned away from me, I saw an arrow stuck into his shoulder. "How does that feel?"

This voice came from behind the trees near where we were, I turned my head to see who had come to my aid. For a moment my eyes deceived me, I swore it had been Benithir, but no- it was not so. I began to feel myself drifting out of consciousness as I slumped to the ground. Everything began to blur; I saw only silhouettes of the thieves as they fled. I had seen also, the blur of a tall, fair, blonde man- perhaps an elf, a short, stout, dwarf-looking man, and then none other than Aragorn's worried face.

Everything was muffled and blurred but I noticed he had rushed over to me, I was losing blood and had assumed that the dagger had been laced with some sort of poison; knowing the nature of thieves.

"Aragorn," I whispered.

"Don't worry m'lady, we will find you aid, I promise this," his words were kind, as was his sympathetic gaze staring into my eyes. I looked into those icy blue orbs for just one more moment, and then everything went black.

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><p><strong>Author Note:<br>**Aye, the long awaited chapter is finally here… Ugh, I do like the beginning, but honestly I disliked writing the part about the thieves guild. However, I had to get it out of the way for the next chapter to happen. I'm done crossing Skryim over into the story for a little while now, but if necessary it will tie in more later. However, the next few chapters will be purely Lord of The Rings, I promise. Please bear with how terrible this chapter was! I thank you for reading this though. Next chapter to be posted soon!


	4. Chapter Three

I felt the poison course through my veins; I knew not if it was lethal nor what the effects may be. All I knew is I continued to faze in and out of consciousness until finally all went black for a long while. When my eyes did open again I found myself in darkness, alone, but something was very different. As my eyed adjusted to the world around me I noticed something most unusual. I was there, in that field where Thaleon left me. _What sorcery is this? _I murmured to myself quietly; noticing that I was dressed in the tunic I had worn that dreadful night. Had I passed into the shadow realm? Had I been cursed to relive the wretched tragedies of my memory?

In an instant I felt the piercing pain in my shoulder as I snapped back into reality; the pain was calm to me. It assured me I had yet to live, but again the world began to fade once more. I wearily glanced around me, taking in what I could. I noticed the blonde man near me and the shadows of others close by. My vision faded once more, as I gasped for air. A voice faded in what only seemed to be distance; it was familiar to me, but I could neither place its origin nor its memory. _"Aragorn, the woman, she stirs! We must hurry…"_ it spoke, my mind placing an echo to it, for a moment I saw him clearly and felt myself speak the faintest words, "I know your face."

Then I drifted back, back to that forsaken memory. I walked through the marsh, not giving a second thought to the darkness. I watched onward as the memory resumed, this time I had only been a shade of myself; free to take in what projections the darkness played for me.

_Thaleon, my only companion in this cruel, world was gone. In my fear I felt betrayed, alone, abandoned. How could I forgive such insolence? I knew not where to go, I knew not who to go to, I knew not what would come of the day ahead. I had been travelling on foot the whole day and night had come to pass. Never had I felt as alone as I did that dark, wind chilled night. _

_I carried only with me what I could; I necklace of my mothers, a pack that carried some bread and a canteen of water along with other minor necessities, and of course the bow and quiver Thaleon had left for me. Vulnerability was something I had known well at the time, I let my emotions take charge and cloud my mind. _

_It was dark in that marsh and I heard the groans and howls of the creatures that were out in the fray. From my assumptions I knew I had to be somewhere on the outskirts of Mirkwood but I knew Lake Town could not be too far ahead of me. As the night went on, I heard faint noises in the marsh alongside me. The sounds of beasts no doubt, my small body began to tremble in fear as the sounds grew ever closer. Before long I found myself surrounded by wolves; they had been hunting me and I knew I was no match for them. They snarled and circled around me as I stared at them, frozen with terror._

_I screamed through the night as one lurched at me but its teeth never fell upon my flesh; rather its body fell to the ground. I looked up to see that it had been struck by an arrow. Before my mind could comprehend the sight before me I saw a tall, graceful being come to my rescue; slaying each beast as it attacked. My savior was elegant in his movements, swift and courageous. His eyes were bright, piercing blue. His hair was like silk and was a pale, beautiful, yellow. He was not a man, but what I assumed to be an elf; the first I had ever encountered in my years. He rushed to my side, asking if I was alright._

"_I owe you my life," I spoke softly to the elf._

I sat up abruptly; gasping for breath, a pair of strong but gentle arms caught me. "Hush now," called the familiar voice from before, "a young maiden as yourself should not be out wandering these lands alone."

"Those words," I whispered, "I've heard them before…" I looked into the same piercing blue eyes I had seen that night in the marsh, "from you my brave Legolas…"

**Author Note:  
><strong>Well, this is short... And an unexpected update. You've all been asking for an update to this story for nearly two years and only now did I remember I had a half written chapter to submit. So here it is. I think I will be discontinuing this story and replacing it with one based in the time period of The Hobbit... If I do, I will let you know. Until then, I fear this story is now closed. Thank you for reading thus far. I appreciate your support.


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